Voice

Convert text to speech using Microsoft Edge's TTS engine with customizable voices, direct playback, and automatic temporary file cleanup.

Voice Skill

The Voice skill provides enhanced text-to-speech functionality using edge-tts, allowing you to convert text to spoken audio with multiple playback options.

Features

• Text-to-speech conversion using Microsoft Edge's TTS engine
• Support for various voice options and audio settings
• Direct playback of generated audio
• Automatic cleanup of temporary audio files
• Integration with the MEDIA system for audio playback

Installation

Before using this skill, you need to install the required dependency:

bash

pip3 install edge-tts

Or use the skill's install action:

javascript

await skill.execute({ action: 'install' });

Usage

Direct Speaking (Recommended)

Speak text directly without storing to file:

javascript

const result = await skill.execute({
  action: 'speak',  // New improved action
  text: 'Hello, how are you today?'
});
// Audio is played directly and temporary file is cleaned up automatically

Text-to-Speech with File Generation

Convert text to speech with default settings:

javascript

const result = await skill.execute({
  action: 'tts',
  text: 'Hello, how are you today?'
});
// Returns a MEDIA link to the audio file

With direct playback:

javascript

const result = await skill.execute({
  action: 'tts',
  text: 'Hello, how are you today?',
  playImmediately: true  // Plays the audio immediately after generation
});

With custom options:

javascript

const result = await skill.execute({
  action: 'tts',
  text: 'This is a sample of voice customization.',
  options: {
    voice: 'zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural',
    rate: '+10%',
    volume: '-5%',
    pitch: '+10Hz'
  }
});

Play Existing Audio File

Play an existing audio file:

javascript

const result = await skill.execute({
  action: 'play',
  filePath: '/path/to/audio/file.mp3'
});

List Available Voices

Get a list of available voices:

javascript

const result = await skill.execute({
  action: 'voices'
});

Cleanup Temporary Files

Clean up temporary audio files older than 1 hour (default):

javascript

const result = await skill.execute({
  action: 'cleanup'
});

Or specify a custom age threshold:

javascript

const result = await skill.execute({
  action: 'cleanup',
  options: {
    hoursOld: 2  // Clean files older than 2 hours
  }
});

Options

The following options are available for text-to-speech:

• voice: The voice to use (default: 'zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural')
• rate: Speech rate adjustment (default: '+0%')
• volume: Volume adjustment (default: '+0%')
• pitch: Pitch adjustment (default: '+0Hz')

Supported Voices

Edge-TTS supports many voices in different languages:

• Chinese: zh-CN-XiaoxiaoNeural, zh-CN-YunxiNeural, zh-CN-YunyangNeural
• English (US): en-US-Standard-C, en-US-Standard-D, en-US-Wavenet-F
• English (UK): en-GB-Standard-A, en-GB-Wavenet-A
• Japanese: ja-JP-NanamiNeural
• Korean: ko-KR-SunHiNeural
• And many more...

File Management

• Audio files are temporarily stored in the temp directory
• Files are automatically cleaned up after 1 hour (default)
• Direct speaking option cleans up files after 5 seconds

Requirements

• Python 3.x
• pip package manager
• edge-tts library (install via pip3 install edge-tts)